No. 4 Bulldogs Capture Class of 1985 Cup For 11th Straight Year

DERBY, Conn. – The Yale women’s crew, ranked fourth
in the nation, kept right on rolling Saturday in its first race of
the spring season at Gilder Boathouse. The Bulldogs cruised to
victories in all five races against No. 20 Dartmouth and Boston
University on the Housatonic River. Yale won the varsity eight to
capture the Class of 1985 Cup for the 11th straight
year.

“The conditions were very fast. There was a strong
tailwind, so it was hard to open too big a gap,” said Yale
head coach Will Porter. “We’re learning a little more
about ourselves each week, and we’re trying to close in our
top speed.”

In the varsity eight race, the Bulldogs built an early lead. The
crews rowed evenly for the next 500 meters before Yale pulled away.
The Bulldogs finished in 5:58.50, nearly four seconds ahead of
second-place Dartmouth. BU was third.

Yale’s second varsity had the most convincing win of the
day. The Bulldogs came in at 6:12.30, almost 12 seconds faster than
second-place Dartmouth.

The Bulldogs also won the third varsity eight and second varsity
four races.

Yale gets a big test next Saturday. The Bulldogs face No. 1
Virginia and No. 6 Princeton on Lake Carnegie in New Jersey.

“That will be a big race,” Porter said.
“I’m sure a lot of people around the country are going
to be watching. For us, though, there really is no bad result
because of the competition. Our number one priority remains to go
as fast as we can.”